Wind Angel
by raijin1
Summary: A rewrite of the last few volumes of FoR... more focus on Fuuko and Raiha's relationship. SPOILERS AHEAD! -- Chapter 4 -- Flame Fuuko is still as hot-headed as when she was alive. Now, it's Raiha's blood that she wants... (Yup! I finally updated!)
1. Prologue

**:: Prologue ::**

_Kill her._

Raiha looked around frantically. He was in a vast open plain. The sky was a sheet of pure darkness, only lighting up brilliantly by the occasional bolts of lightning. The wind howled deafeningly around him, its icy touch biting into his skin. 

_Kill her._

He looked this way and that. _Where am I?  There was no other person here besides him. __And what is that voice? _

_Kill her._

He heard it again. A deep, rumbling voice. A voice like thunder. He shuddered… he knew that voice… yet he could not remember who it belonged to. 

_Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her…_

His hand went down to his sword hilt hesitantly. The voice echoed on its eerie chant. _Kill who? Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him and he quickly whirled around to see who it was. A shadowy figure stood before him. He could not discern the features but… the figure was oddly familiar too. _

_Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her._

The figure jumped at him, its right hand holding something long and sharp which flashed silver. Instinctively, Raiha drew his sword to parry the blow. To his amazement, the figure stopped abruptly in mid-jump, causing his sword to slide into soft flesh. He felt something warm gushing onto his hands and the coppery smell of blood. A bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, illuminating everything in blinding white radiance.

_Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. KILL HER!_

Fuuko stared back at him, her eyes widened in pain and shock. Blood trickled down the side of her mouth. His sword was still embedded in her stomach. Blood was gushing out of the wound, staining her clothes, the ground… his hands. Her blood. Fuuko's blood. Raiha let go of the hilt in horror. He could see the life draining out off her eyes. She reached out weakly towards him. 

"Raiha… ", she choked out.

Then, her arm dropped limply and she collapsed into his arms. 

"No… no…  Fuuko… FUUKO!!!"

Around him, insane laughter sounded on and on and on… 

* * * * * *

Raiha jolted awake, his heart hammering wildly. He ran his hand through his sweaty brown hair, breathing heavily. _A dream… all a dream… No, a nightmare. Fuuko was alive, he did not kill her. He was in his bedroom, not some open plain. He stole a glance at the unsheathed katana just by his beside. It winked dangerously in the cold moonlight._

* * * * * *

**A/N: Ok, that's the end of the first part. There's more to come but please review and let me know what you think, ok? Well… even if there isn't much of a story to review!! ^_^ Thanks!!**


	2. The Painful Battle

**:: Chapter 1 ::**

The cold, metallic walls covered with gigantic pipes loomed around him. Raiha was alone in the room. Waiting. The longer he waited, the more unease he felt. It gnawed at him incessantly and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling off. Absently, he fingered his Raijin. He could feel the strong, malevolent energy emanating from it. Its power repulsed him… yet, in a small crevice of his mind, he knew he also felt a tinge of excitement. So he stood there waiting… Waiting for the inevitable battle that was to come.

* * * * * *

Fuuko skipped across the hallway in the structure known as SODOM. She thought of Yanagi, the girl who had become like a sister to her. Memories of all the good times they had together, mostly silly ones, flooded her mind. _Yanagi__, you silly goose.__ Fuuko smiled to herself. __I'll get you out of this god-forsaken place immediately, Yanagi-chan! Fuuko punched in the number sequence for the automated lock at the end of the hallway. __When I'm there, you won't need to cry anymore! She waited as the metal doorway hissed to life and opened slowly. _

A bleeding figure, reeking of burnt flesh suddenly pounced at her, eyes and mouth wide in a tortured scream. 

"AHHHHHH!!!" Fuuko screamed in shock, instinctively jumping back. "What the hell?"

The figure collapsed onto the floor moaning. "I've been… beaten…" he groaned, before succumbing to silence. 

Fuuko stood over the fallen figure, her mind racing. _An Ura Uraha… did one of the Hokage beat him for me? It was a possibility yet… __No… only I chose this path, ONLY I! _

Gathering her resolve, she gingerly stepped over the unfortunate Uraha  into the huge room before her. The room consisted of a raised platform in the middle of what seemed like a water tank. A narrow metal bridge linked the entrance to the platform. Large metal pipes and pumps covered practically every inch of the room. 

But the room was far from empty. In the middle of the platform stood a lone figure, his back towards her. The wind from the air vents swept his long hair back, his clothes gently ruffling in the wind. 

Fuuko squinted her eyes to get a better look. Behind her, the Uraha was moaning something. "Help me… Aoi-sama…"

The guy on the platform looked very familiar… a lot like… "Raiha? Is that you?"

"Raiha-kun!! You really came! Wow, it's true then! Wherever I go, I'll still meet up with you!" Fuuko shouted elatedly, running across the bridge with a happy grin on her face. 

Raiha turned his head slowly and she stopped abruptly, her smile fading. 

He had a look of poignant sadness on his usually smiling face. He looked at her mournfully, his eyes ever so gentle and soft, and smiled at her ruefully. She thought of the normal, smiling, perpetually cheerful Raiha. _Raiha__… he defeated that Uraha guy?_

"You came after all… Kirisawa Fuuko," he said sadly. "You shouldn't have. Fuujin and Raijin, destined to fight one another. Two madougus created by two different people." 

Fuuko looked at him quizzically, almost expectantly. She arched her eyebrow, as if saying, "Yeah so?"

"One to help people… and the other to kill," he continued, his demeanor never changing. "Kokuu's Fuujin…"

Instinctively, Fuuko glanced at her Fuujin, her trusty battle companion since the day she received it.

"… And Kaima's Raijin."

Just as he said that, the monstrous, insect-like bracelet on his arm actually began to lash its "tail" around. It looked like one huge, evil-looking spider sitting right smack on Raiha's hand. It gave Fuuko the creeps. Not only that, Raiha was starting to scare her too.

"Our madougus are like a pair. They call to each other strongly. Why do you think we keep meeting by chance, Fuuko? Our madougus are calling to each other like no other!"

_Is it only our madougus that draw us to each other? The unbidden thought wafted into Fuuko's mind and suddenly, she dreaded what he would be saying next._

"Why Fuuko? Why did you choose this route?" he asked her softly, regretfully.

Fuuko didn't like what this was leading to one bit. Anger flared up inside her, bright and hot. 

"Enough!! Stop staying all these things!" she shouted angrily. "I know you're supposed to be an enemy, but you've been there to rescue me whenever I need you!" _Raiha__, I thought you were my friend, she thought silently._

Raiha swallowed the huge lump forming in his throat. God,  how he wanted to shut up and tell Fuuko that he was only joking. He wanted to start smiling and stand there waiting for Fuuko's good-natured punches. _But we can't always get what we want, can we?_

"I'm Kurie-sama's ninja. I will kill whoever he wants revenge on, be it Mori Kouran, " he paused. _I'm sorry. Steadying his resolve, he kept his face an expressionless mask betraying no emotion. But inside, his mind was a whirl of emotions. _

"Or even you."

Fuuko stared at him in shock. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. How could Raiha announce in such a dispassionate manner that he wouldn't mind killing her? Her heart felt like it had been pierced by the keenest blade ever wrought. She could feel the hot tears slowly filling up her eyes, threatening to spill over.

Raiha saw all these and his heart nearly broke. He could feel her pain as acutely as if he was feeling it himself. He hated to make girls cry and he never did. But here he was, forcing the strongest girl he had ever known to become close to tears. But he had to make his point. With one swift, practiced move, he sliced her left shoulder with his katana. Not deeply, but enough to draw blood.

Fuuko was obviously unprepared. With a gasp of pain, she knelt to the ground, clutching her wounded shoulder. 

"Please use the Fuujin, Fuuko. Release the power of the true kaku that I returned to you. Otherwise, I'll simply kill you," he said, brandishing his Raijin which sent out sparks of dark electricity. Although he sounded calm outwardly, he was far from being calm inside. _So here, the painful battle begins. Raising up his right hand, he allowed the Raijin to gather up electricity._

_He's serious, Fuuko thought in horror. __Dead serious._

She refused to give in to her hurt and sadness, so she cried out angrily, "Stop it you idiot! Weren't we supposed to fight together and defeat Mori? Argh, you are so dense!! I don't want to kill you, idiot!!" 

Her pleas seem to fall on death ears. The arc of deadly lightning sped towards her with unnerving speed. It illuminated Raiha's face, as impassive as a cold, emotionless statue.

Fuuko could only see the blinding, bolt of electricity, filing her entire line of vision, spelling her doom. It was too late to do anything. Just too late.

* * * * * *

**A/N: Ok, I know that I just wrote down practically everything happened in the battle in vol. 30. So sorry for the spoilers! The thing is, although I really liked the ending of the FoR manga, I decided that it didn't have enough focus on my two fave characters, Fuuko and Raiha. Basically, I wanted to inject more of their personal feelings into the story and shift more focus onto them. Consider this a rewrite of the last few volumes of FoR! So once again, comments are greatly appreciated! No point writing a crappy fic right? And my thanks to those who reviewed! ^-^**


	3. The Battle of Two Gods

**A/N: First, let me warn you that this chapter is full of spoilers for Raiha and Fuuko's battle in vol. 30. The beginning is based entirely on the manga but the last part is my own of course! ^-^ So, if you don't really mind being spoiled, do continue reading!**

**:: Chapter 2 ::**

Fuuko instinctively raised up her arms to shield herself. A futile attempt against this deadly missile. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the searing impact that was to come. The crackling static made her hair stand on its ends and she could feel the increasing heat preparing to overwhelm her. This must be the end.

She stood there for what seemed like hours awaiting her doom, yet nothing happened. Gingerly opening one eye, she saw a shimmering translucent shield in front of her, still crackling with the remnants of Raiha's lightning bolt.

"Fuu- Fuujin-chan?"

The fluffy little white ball of a creature that was Fuujin bobbed near her head. So he was the one who had created that shield!

Come on out Raijin! I know you're in there! Fuujin called out.

Suddenly, Fuuko grabbed him by his head affectionately. "Stop appearing like this! Trying to be like Grampa Kokuu?"

Wind shield! Fuujin called out, just as another bolt of electricity flew from Raiha. Pay attention, Master!

An aura of death seemed to surround Raiha. He looked like he was out to kill. _Which is a huge possibility, Fuuko thought sadly. __Out to kill me. _

Raiha raised his arm again and Fuuko expected another bolt to fly her way. Instead he said, "I allow you to enter me."

_Forgive me, Fuuko, for what I have to do. For releasing this beast, this evil. Yet it is calling me, coaxing me, seducing me with all of its great power. Raiha steeled his mind. He could feel his heart growing heavier and heavier. __Fuuko… I'm sorry._

Fuuko was puzzled. Who the hell was he talking to? Air? The Raijin's  "tail" lashed around more fiercely and the word "rai" appeared on the kaku, glowing brightly. To Fuuko's horror, the "tail" lingered near Raiha's neck before piercing right into it. Blood spurted out of his mouth in a fine shower and his eyes widened with pain. 

"RAIHA-KUN!?"

Raiha wanted to cry out from the agonizing pain. He could feel the evil touch of his Raijin entering him, tainting his thoughts, entering his mind. It was as though a dark, choking cloud was gathering in it. 

_Remember Raiha, a voice eerily familiar commanded in his head. __Kill her._

Fuuko took a step closer to him but Fuujin halted her. Be careful Master, he's about to appear now!

"Who's appearing?" Fuuko asked agitatedly. 

As if in answer to her question, there was a brilliant flash of lightning and a huge, monstrous creature appeared in front of Raiha, looking like a cross between a wolf and a lion, with a shaggy mane and a large menacing horn on its forehead.

How nice… finally I can come out into the open, the beast rumbled before laughing manically.

Fuuko could feel her hairs standing on their ends. "Ok, is that a wild boar or what? Please don't tell me that's Raijin."

That's the Raijin's true body, Fuujin informed. 

"And to think that you look so cute and harmless…" Fuuko muttered.

Long time no see, Fuujin. Just seeing you makes me insane with rage, Raijin growled.

I think you were already insane from the start, Fuujin retorted. _Wow, since when do madougus have smart mouths, the thought idly popped into Fuuko's mind._

You should keep your mouth shut, Fuujin. Don't you agree, Master Raiha?

Raiha just stared blankly ahead, his eyes dull and empty like a puppet. 

"RAIHA!!" Fuuko cried out worriedly, impulsively dashing forward. Once again, Fuujin halted her.

No, Master! Raijin has entered him. Now, Raiha is under Raijin's control. You won't be able to reach him! That isn't the Raiha you know anymore!

Fuuko glared in frustration at the huge beast as memories of a goofier, friendlier Raiha came flooding back to her. How can it be, that Raiha would let this evil _thing make use of him? __There must be some way to get through to him!_

Without warning, electricity began building up as Raijin unleashed a storm of electrical energy. In the process, the strong attack burst the large water tanks around the room. Fuuko jumped in surprise as a splash of cold water hit her.

"Oh crap!!" she cursed as she realised how vulnerable she now was to electrical attacks since she was wet. Now she was really getting worried. If this were any other enemy, she'd be blasting him merrily to who-knows-where with Fuujin. But this was Raiha. Fighting him would be as bad as fighting, say, Recca. _So what the hell should I do!!??_

"Ugh…" Raiha groaned before slumping on the ground. His whole face was pale and he was breathing raggedly.

Are you tired, Raiha? Then rest first… we can fight later, Raijin laughed.

Abruptly, he released Raiha, withdrawing his "tail". Raiha tried to catch his breath while his eyes slowly returned to normal. Finally, he could feel his head clearing. He held his katana in a battle-ready stance, pointing its tip towards Fuuko.

"For Kurei-sama's sake, I will defeat all of you… including you, Fuuko-san," he said between sharp intakes of breath. 

"Why Raiha-kun? Why must you protect Kurei to this extent?" Fuuko asked softly. "Answer me, Raiha of Jyuushinshuu!!" she shouted angrily. _What is Kurei to you that you'll kill for him??_

Raiha gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. A drop of blood dripped onto the ground, gleaming dark red against the grey metal.

"It's because of blood. In me flows the blood of the cowards of the Hokage."

Fuuko was more confused than ever. "Blood?"

"Many years ago, when Nobunaga attacked the Hokage village, many fought but there were some who ran away. Cowards. In me, flows the blood of these cowards and I am so ashamed of it… I am a Hokage descendant… a descendant of the cowards!" he said angrily, clenching his fist.

"Yet, a flame master acknowledges me as a comrade, as someone to fight with," he continued, gazing into the distance. "To me, that's something that brings me much joy."

With a slight smile playing about his lips, he took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket with Neon, Jishou and Raiha's name on it, written in blood.

"This pact, signed by the three of us… to protect Kurei-sama… even till death. Jishou fights on as his flame, Neon risked her life for him. Now it's my turn," he said smiling goofily once more.

A few shurikens landed at Fuuko's feet. 

"I must try to dispel my past so I won't run away now! Fight Fuuko, please fight."

Fuuko stood there silently. Finally, she raised her head, a defiant look in her eyes. 

"It's tough Raiha, to fight you. But you know what? You're not the only one with someone to protect. I have to protect Yanagi-chan too. So we're even!" she said with a confident smile on her lips. 

"Fuujin!" she called as she hurled a large gust of wind at Raijin. 

Puny attack! I can easily- argh!! Raijin groaned as Fuujin's attack hit him squarely.

_:: Wow, what a cool castle, Fuuko thought excitedly. Time to explore!_

_Turning around, she ran right smack into a tall, long-haired young man in a ninja's outfit._

_Holding her by her arm, he grinned at her cheerfully._

_"Are you ok, miss?" ::_

With Raijin temporarily stunned, Fuuko jumped at Raiha, Shinryoshintou (the sword-like madougu ) in hand. Raiha easily parried her attack with practiced accuracy. Fuuko somersaulted in the air, narrowly avoiding Raiha's counter attack. 

"Fuujin!!" Fuuko called out.

Coming! the little furball replied, hurling another wind attack towards Raiha.

This time though, Raijin was there to block it.

_:: Fuuko was in the park practicing for her match the next day. Suddenly, Raiha popped out of nowhere._

_"Hey Fuuko-san!__ Let's have another bout!"_

_"Don't be crazy! Go practice by yourself!" Fuuko replied gruffily._

_Raiha__ turned to her with a hurt look on his face._

_"How cold… I just wanted the two of us to be together!" he said softly. ::_

_All these memories… it's making fighting him so difficult, Fuuko thought in irritation. _

Raijin looked ready to pounce on her but Fuujin was ready this time. 

Take this! he called out, throwing a net of wind energy at the god of thunder.

The attack hit and Raijin roared out in pain. However, Fuuko was severly taxed too. Kneeling on the floor in exhaustion, she paused to catch her breath.

_:: Raiha knelt in front of her, smiling that familiar smile._

_"Your prince is here to save you." ::_

"This isn't easy…" Raiha heard Fuuko say softly. "Since the prince who always rescues me will never come."

Her words tugged at Raiha's heart. Suddenly, fighting her was becoming nearly impossible. Yes, he was her prince! He had told her that. Yet today, her prince was the one fighting her! He gazed at the strong, beautiful young woman in front of him. She was so young, yet she was so much braver than most people he had met in his life. Just like him, she was risking her life for her friend. _How can I continue this fight?_

Without warning, Fuuko came at him again brandishing Shinryoshintou. 

Raiha was caught completely by surprise and he responded as he was trained to do. With his katana, he parried her attack once more and this time, his counter attack connected. It was a mistake trying the same thing on him twice. 

To his horror, his katana slid into soft flesh… and a feeling of déjà vu overcame him. He felt the expected rush of warm blood and the familiar coppery smell.

Exactly like his dream.

He was going to watch Fuuko die. Again.

"FUUKO!!" he screamed as he caught her limp body. 

Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth and she was gasping in pain. "Raiha… you…" she choked, tears streaming down her face. She clenched his arm tightly. __

"No Fuuko, not now! You can't die now!!" Raiha cried as he desperately tried to stop her blood from gushing out. 

Fuuko's eyes filled with pain and… fear. The cold realization that she was dying hit her and she suddenly knew the very cold and acute fear of death. "Raiha, I don't want to die!" she whispered weakly.

_Neither do I want you to, Raiha thought in frustration. "Hang on Fuuko! I'll… I'll think of something. Just hang on!"_

"It hurts, Raiha… my heart is hurting too… why did you…" before she could finish, she let out one last tortured breath before her eyelids slowly closed.

* * * * * *

Kurei whirled around with his arm raised when he heard the loud, pattering footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. When he saw who it was though, he lowered his arm. Behind his mask, he let out a small gasp of surprise.

Raiha stood before him, eyes red with crying, tears still streaming down his cheek. In his arms, he tenderly carried the lifeless looking body of Kirisawa Fuuko. Raiha knelt in front of him, trying desperately to control his tears.

"Kurei-sama, I beg you. Turn Fuuko into your flame. Please!"

* * * * * * 

**A/N: Whew, this chapter is waaay longer than what I'd usually write. Ok, I know I'm probably a bit morbid since I end up killing my characters a lot. What to do… all my school compos also have death as a driving force for the plot! Still, I really hope you've enjoyed the story so far and will continue reading it. Thanks once again to all the reviewers… I really really appreciate your reviews A LOT!! =)**


	4. The Transformation

**:: Chapter 3 ::**

_Cold…_

_So cold.___

_And so dark.___

_I can't see anything._

_Where am I?_

_How did I get here?_

_Where's everyone?_

_Recca__… Domon… Yanagi… Tokiya… Kaoru… and…_

_Raiha__.___

_I hate this place..._

_I hate being alone._

* * * * * *

Kurei remained expressionless, showing no trace of the inner turmoil he was feeling. He was surprised, shocked, and not to mention worried. He had never seen Raiha reacting this way. Usually, the ninja was as calm and composed as he was. Now, he was hysterical with grief, and of all things, had asked him to turn Fuuko into a flame. If Raiha was in his right state of mind, he too would find it completely absurd.

"Raiha, listen to me. I simply can't do that."

"Why not?! Don't you get it? I killed her! For YOUR sake! I've done so much for you! The least you can do is to grant me just this one request!" Raiha screamed.

"I can't," Kurei replied calmly.

Suddenly, and most unexpectedly, Raiha leapt forward and grabbed Kurei by his collar so that they were eye to eye.

"JUST DO IT!! Is it so difficult?!" Raiha shouted angrily.

Kurei coolly loosened Raiha's grip on him and took a step back. He should be seething by now, yet all he felt was pity. 

"I'm sorry Raiha. If Fuuko were to become a flame, she would be one forever. Not only that, but her soul would be under my control, as a flame. Can you bear that? Can SHE bear that?"

"Kurei-sama, I don't care. She can't be gone. I can't lose her just like that. Bring her back. Please," Raiha whispered, tears welling up in his eyes again. He gently fingered Fuuko's cheek and stroked her hair. "You know what it's like to lose someone you love. I love this girl. I love Fuuko very much."

Kurie sighed. He remembered how he felt- no, still feel- about losing Kurenai, his only love. The pain, the grief, the sadness… and worse of all, the guilt. He remembered the horror of the fact that never would he be able to see her again. Never to hear her bubbly laughter, see her sparkling eyes, never to feel the soft, warm touch of her hand. What Raiha was going through, Kurei could understand perfectly. Still… _Should I do it? Should I turn her into a flame. For his sake? To ease his pain?_

Kurei gazed at Raiha sadly, at the man who was more like a friend to him than just a subordinate. He would regret this. He knew he would. Heck, he didn't know whether what he was about to do was right. For once, Kurei was at a loss at what to do.

* * * * * *

Fuuko was floating in a tunnel. She didn't know how she knew this since it was too dark to see anything. Yet, she simply knew. It was so cold in the tunnel, a chill that permeated her very being and caused her a feeling of overwhelming weariness. She felt so tired, so drained. She wanted rest.

Suddenly, she saw a tiny pinprick of light like a star, beckoning to her. She went towards it, realising for the first time that she was floating. Closer and closer she went, faster and faster. The light grew brighter until she saw that it shone a hazy gold. She became aware of a slight sound breaking the silence. It sounded like… bells chiming in the distance. Their music soothed her, welcomed her. 

As she drew nearer to the light, she could feel its golden glow surround her, driving out the chill. She felt warm all over and felt as though a burden was being lifted from her shoulders. Nearer still she floated towards the light, craving for the comfort it provided her. All fears, all doubts vanished from her mind. She *had* to get there. The bells grew louder and the light consumed her when suddenly…

WHOOOSH!

The whole tunnel was set alight by a stream of violet flames which travelled along the tunnel walls. Fuuko tried to move faster, away from those horrible flames. However, the flames were too fast. They snaked around her body and she felt cold all over again. The flames were dragging her back, the golden light becoming smaller and smaller, the chiming fading into nothing. 

"NOOOO!!" she cried as she desperately tried to wriggle her way out. "NO NO NOOOO!!"

* * * * * * 

Very abruptly, a violet flame hovered above Fuuko's body. The flame was in the likeness of Fuuko, with the exception of a pair of magnificent wings growing out of its back. However, its mouth was opened in a silent scream.

NOOO!!

Raiha jerked in surprise when he heard Fuuko's scream in his head. A scream full of agony and despair. Kurei's eyes widened slightly. He must have heard the scream in his head too.

Flame Fuuko thrashed her wings wildly, all the while screaming.

Raiha stared at her, his heart wrenching with pain. _Kami__-sama, what have I done?_

* * * * * * 

**A/N: Ok, I finally got round to updating this fic. Now when I think about it, I'm not sure how the plot will work out… I guess I'll just see where my imagination takes me! Heheh… Anyway, this is a pretty boring chapter, not to mention short… I'm trying to think of stuff to write. Still, I hope that you've enjoyed the story so far… and please review if you can! =)**


	5. The Revelation

**:: Chapter 4 ::**

Raiha looked up in horror at the fearsome apparition he had helped create. The flame angel blazed with a violent fury. Fuuko's wings beat about furiously, causing the air around her to fill with streaks of violet flame. She writhed around as though she was in great pain.

"Kurei-sama? What's happening? Why does it look as though it's hurting her?" Raiha asked his master frantically. He felt scared. What had he done to Fuuko?

For the first time, Kurei seemed genuinely puzzled too. "This… Doesn't usually happen," he gasped. "She's fighting me. It's hard to control her. She's trying to break free."

Suddenly, the flame Fuuko stopped and seemed to calm down. She seemed disoriented and slowly, she hovered lower.

**:: Why am I here? ::** she demanded. **:: I was in a tunnel… and then the flames came… it pulled me out… I… ::** she paused. **Raiha****? You're here too? What's going on? And Kurei? ::**

Raiha was at a loss for what to say. He intensely regretted his rash decision yet seeing Fuuko – and hearing her- even if she was in the shape of a flame, made him feel that it was all worth it too. She seemed unaware of the state she was in and he wondered how to break it to her. What should he say? That she was now the flame of Team Hokage's arch enemy and that she had to obey his every command? He gazed up at the awesome being blazing with power and didn't know what to say.

- - - - - - - - - -

Fuuko felt strange and light-headed. Everything seemed so surreal and part of her wondered if she was lying somewhere knocked unconscious having the weirdest dream of her life. She seemed to be floating high above the ground but she could see Raiha and Kurei looking up at her with gaping mouths. _Well, not Kurei_, she thought. _A gaping Kurei just isn't right._

Suddenly, from somewhere deep inside of her, she heard a soft, almost dreamy voice.

**:: Fuuko, don't be afraid. ::** the disembodied voice said so softly that it was like the slightest breath of a whisper.

**:: Who are you? ::** Fuuko asked suspiciously. **:: And _where_ are you for that matter? ::**

**:: My name is Kurenai. ::** said the voice.

The name sounded familiar to her. She had heard this name before. **:: Wait a minute… Isn't Kurenai the name of Kurei's lost love or something? ::**

The voice tinkled with unexpected laughter. **:: Yes, _that_ Kurenai. Glad to know I have a reputation. ::**

_Ok now THIS is weird,_ Fuuko thought. _I'm speaking to a disembodied voice with a sense of humour. _She was beginning to think that she might be schizophrenic.

**:: Urm… so uh… Kurenai, aren't you like, dead? ::**

**:: Hmm, funny you should say that Fuuko. I have something to tell you and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like it. But it's important that you know. All I can ask is for you to keep calm, ok? ::** the voice pleaded.

Fuuko didn't like the way things were sounding one bit but she nodded, before realising that maybe the voice couldn't see her and could only hear her. **:: I'm ready. Just hit me with it. ::**

Raiha glanced anxiously at Kurei who seemed to be deep in concentration. Up above them, Fuuko had mysteriously stopped thrashing about, floating as though she was suspended in space.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Kurei-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt but can you please tell me what is happening right now?" he asked his master haltingly.

Kurei frowned and knitted his eyebrows in annoyance. "What I am doing now, Raiha, is that I allowing Kurenai to speak to Fuuko since you are too afraid to break the news to her yourself," he said matter-of-factly.

Raiha felt a stab of guilt and self-loathing. He felt like such a coward. What happened to the brave ninja who had fought even Fuuko just to absolve the guilt of his ancestor's cowardice? He had subjected Fuuko to a fate that she would have never chose all because he felt guilty for killing her and wanted to see her again. All these, all because of his selfishness. And here he was, not daring to say one word to her. He felt like such a failure.

But a sudden flash of violet flame broke him out of his self-reflection. Heat fanned around them, causing the air to spark violently.

**:: RAIHA! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU RIGHT NOW! I WILL NEVER, EVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS. ::** Fuuko screamed in fury as she swooped downwards towards him, her wings streaming behind her like a splendid, deadly cape.

Kurei lurched forward in surprise, his eyes widening in shock. This was the most taxing flame he had ever experienced and he had to use all his will-power to rein her in. He could even feel Kurenai trying to restrain her too. Yet the flame Fuuko still blazed towards Raiha, a beautiful angel of death.

Raiha stood stoically, not budging an inch and gazed up sorrowfully in welcome of the woman he loved.

- - - - - - - - - -

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Since I got round to updating the other fic I thought, what the heck, might as well update this one too! It feels weird though, writing again. First of all, there has been some changes in the format of the story. Now Fuuko's "flame speak" will be in **bold** with the two "::" thingies. It's been so long since I've written here that I still haven't gotten that editing tool thing figured out so most of the symbols I use don't show up. Ah well. It looks ugly but it'll have to do for now!

Once again, thank you very much to everyone who read this fic and left such wonderful comments. Sorry to keep you all waiting and I'm very honoured that you guys still continue to look forward to a new chapter. I'll really try my best to complete this fic and once again, my heart-felt thanks. You guys rock!!


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